Books by Hank Davis

Serials can be both entertaining and informative. It is exactly those same two goals we hope to achieve with this second volume of Classic Cliffhangers. The goal of the book is to entertain as well as encourage audiences to be entertained by movie serials. Lord knows, that s what they were made for. But this book will also inform about the people on both sides of the camera, as well as the producers who hired them and the world in which all this happened. These are movie serials. It s OK to appreciate their art and laugh at their lunacy. Not all the laughs were intended, but that shouldn t stop us. This isn t grimly serious business. Most of the serials were made for a young Saturday matinee audience, who were much less sophisticated than the savvy film fan of today. There is something wrong if we can t laugh, as well as nod our heads in appreciation, at what these skilled professionals have accomplished, often under very trying conditions and with ridiculously low budgets.

Even today, movie serials continue to enchant movie fans. The innocence, energy and undeniable skill that permeate every reel of these chapter plays is a tribute to the true pioneers of gorilla filmmaking make em fast, make em as good as possible with as little as possible, and make em fun. The best serials are classic examples of early American low-budget filmmaking. The bad ones are silly and stilted, but always charming and sometimes bizarre. At the very least, they offer a window into another time and place. And with the state the world is in today, it s a very welcome place where the good guys always win, the kid saves the day and the hero gets the girl.

In 1993 psychologist and journalist Hank Davis undertook an epic journey exploring the atmosphere and culture of both minor league baseball and the small towns that embrace it. Here, he shows us the warmth, quirkiness, and desperate energy of minor league ball, from encounters with future stars to those who would never make it to the "show".